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Fall Into These Great Reads--N.N. Light

Celebrate autumn all month long at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s fourth annual Fall Into These Great Reads Bookathon. 35 books, 29 authors, $75 Amazon gift card up for grabs plus discover why these books are all recommended by N. N. Light!

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Runs September 1 – 30. Only two days left!  The prize drawing will be held on October 1.

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Giving #MFRWauthor

I just read a news article about an actor and how he and his wife approach Christmas gifts with their son. He said that they bought nothing for his Christmas when he was under one-year-old because he wouldn’t know the difference. And as he got older and they noticed that he saw Christmas gifts as just a bunch of stuff—one gift after another—they cut back until he appreciated each gift he got as something of value.

I thought about that as I got to the point of writing this week’s topic. How do we give gifts that are personal? Here are a few ideas I had.

  • Give gifts from the heart. I made it a habit long ago to give gifts to Giving from the heartpeople I love that I love, too. So, unless my mom asked for a puce-colored sweater where the sleeves hung over her hands and the hem reached her knees, I gave her a sweater I would like to wear myself. I gave a gift that would mean something to me if I received it.
  • Give gifts that people need. I don’t mean giving only underwear for Christmas—people need joy as well as undies—but there’s no need to give a person something they have no use for. My mom is on a fixed income and appreciates gift cards she can use to buy things she needs instead of having to use her own money. I always used to think that gift cards were impersonal, but they’re what she needs at this stage of life, so that’s what she gets.
  • Give something intangible. A smile at the right time can be the greatest Give a smilegift of all. Lending a helping hand when you see it’s needed, thanking a serviceman or woman, or police officer for their service, or saying a kind word are all ways that make the recipient warm inside, and they cost nothing. My mom was always (and fortunately for me, still is) always ready with a hug or encouragement. Always willing to jump in and give me whatever it is I need.
  • Give something tangible. Charities always need more help at the holidays, but they also need a boost all year long. My mom tithes allGiving gifts that are tangible year, but she doesn’t tithe to her church, as such. She tithes in kind, by giving to two particular charities: one is an Indian school in South Dakota. She and my aunt send books and school supplies during the year and all kinds of gloves, scarves and hats in the winter. They buy travel size personal items and small teddy bears and package them to give to women’s shelters. When women escape horrible situations at home, they leave with just what they have on, and they need more, so Mom and my aunt help provide those things.
  • Give time. Another intangible that might cost something if it means taking time from work is the gift of time. Time is infinite, but time hereGive time on earth, with loved ones or even those we don’t know, like folks at a nursing home or hospital, is not infinite. Once a day is gone it never comes again. I live too far from Mom to see her often, but we talk weekly and when we do have time together, we cherish it. Time and love are the two greatest gifts!

I do try each Christmas to follow these gift-giving ideas, though I don’t always succeed. I tend to give Jack things that I think he needs, not what he thinks he needs. (I do know best, don’t I? It turns out, not so much!) But I think the best point to remember about personal gift giving is that it’s not just for Christmas—it’s a notion we should follow all year round.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
One Woman Only: The Good Man Series, Book 2 Jonah’s story! Can a simple mechanic rekindle with his high school love? She says no, but Jonah loves a challenge!
Mystic Desire
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

4 Ways to recognize true love #MFRWauthor

True loveI absolutely, positively, without question believe in TRUE LOVE. I believe because I’ve seen what it looks like and what it doesn’t look like. I’ve known some fine, wonderful women who have not won in love. Here are four ways I know true love exists.

  • The emotion has staying power. Jack and I spent a lot of time away from each other. All of the time we dated, I was in a different state or city from him. We wrote lots of letters and (less, because this was the time before cell phones) we called once a week or so. We did not see each other every weekend, we didn’t date exclusively, and except for a week or two during summers, we didn’t even see each other during school breaks. Even after we were married, after spending nearly every moment of ever day with each other in the truck, we spent months apart while he worked in one state and I worked in another. But we stayed in touch always and we communicated our thoughts, feelings, dreams. We never doubted our feelings for each other. We built a foundation that allowed us to overcome difficulties in being apart. NOT true love, gets bored and wanders off.
  • The individual is not as important as the other person—or the couple. Many times over the years, Jack gave up comfort and things he wanted so that I could thrive. If one or the other had to prevail in a situation,True love we always talked about it and decided which solution best fit us as a team. He moved to Idaho because I had a job opportunity. I gave up my work in order to follow him while he succeeded at consulting. When I had such horrid back problems I could barely stand to get out of bed, Jack got up with me at butt-ugly o’clock and walked around the parking area until I could function, then he faced a full day’s work. He never complained. We’ve always accommodated each other for the good of the team and for love. NOT true love thinks of themselves and not the other person.
  • Each person feels cherished. In a loving relationship, people don’t just say “I love you,” they show it. It can be in small ways like helping with daily activities or with a touch, a look, a smile when the other person needs it. Jack never gives me flowers, but he gives me humor. He’s not big on romantic gifts (see last week’s post) but he’s good with a Giving what is neededsurprise ice cream sandwich from Sonic or a hot cup of coffee. 😉 Feeling cherished means giving the other person what they need when they need it. For me that includes hearing “I love you,” too, but it goes far beyond that. NOT true love might say the words, might give the big gifts, but doesn’t show the meaning beyond them.
  • There’s deep feeling, not superficial. I know that appearance is what draws people to each other at the beginning of a relationship, but I don’t think it’s what keeps them together. Love, unlike beauty, is more than skin deep. Whether you are model-beautiful or not, your true love sees the real you, not your outside shell. Think about it. If you have true love, you’re going to grow older with that person. None of us looks the same at 60 as we did at 20, but the soul stays as beautiful. NOT true love falls in love with the outside, not the inside, and then holds that against you.

Jack and I have been with each other for forty-six years of marriage and seven years of dating. Has it always been easy? Well, no. Being in love doesn’t mean you don’t have problems. It means that you work through them together, and with attention to your lover more than to yourself. I’ve been the luckiest woman in the world to be in love with the world’s best man (your sweetie excepted!). And what’s better, I’ve been loved back. That’s something I thank God for each and every night.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Top five things I’m grateful for #MFRWauthor

Best gift under the treeEspecially in this season, there is much to be grateful for. There is so much, in fact, how does one limit it to a few? Don’t know… But I’m going to try.

  1. The people in my life. I know it sounds trite but I’m so very grateful for the people in my life, especially my mom and husband, but right on their heels are my in-laws (I was blessed with the best!), my aunt, and my closest friends. It seems that when I needed someone, there was always someone there. I only hope I return the favor so someone somewhere says they’re grateful for me, too.
  2. Health. I had polio as a baby but fortunately, that’s the worst health issue I’ve ever had. I’m kind of grateful even for that, though because it helped shape me (for the better, I hope) and gave me adversity to overcome.
  3. Travel. With our eight years of trucking, hubby and I saw a whole hell of a lot of the U.S. and western Canada. Travel expands the mind (and the waistline, sadly). We met so many wonderful people in those eight years US Mapand I learned things I’ve never forgotten. It planted my feet firmly on the ground and centered me. Plus, it gave me a perspective on everything in life since. As hubby says, once you’ve started to jackknife coming down Donner Pass in a blizzard, the meaning of “stress” changes forever more.
  4. Moving around. As a consultant in a specialized arena, hubby moved us quite a bit. The effect was like traveling, above, except with an immersion component. We lived several different places in the U.S. and got to know those places and people really well. I loved it to the point of when hubby said he wanted to stay here, where we were planted after two years, I had withdrawal symptoms. 😉
  5. Life. I have learned to be happy. It’s not always a given, being happy. It’s something I decide every day to be and now I am blooming where I’ve been planted. I was born in the best time. I’ve had innumerable chances to Key to Happinessexperience things most people have not. I’ve been able to write. I’ve enjoyed both working and not working. I’ve been blessed, totally and sincerely. It’s such a wonderful feeling!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!